Translations of works by Gert Jonke and llse Aichinger win translation prize

New York, 19 November 2009 – On 1 December 2009 the Austrian Cultural Forum will be presenting the “ACF Translation Prize” for the first time. It is worth 3,000 euros and is awarded for new hitherto unpublished translations of contemporary Austrian literature that have been accepted for publication by an American publishing company.

The international jury consisting of Fatima Naqvi (Rutgers University), Michael Orthofer (The Literary Saloon), Ricky Stock (German Book Office, New York), Daniela Strigl (University of Vienna) and two representatives of the Cultural Forum this year awarded prizes to two translations: The short stories by Ilse Aichinger (including “Eliza Eliza”) translated by German poet Uljana Wolf and US author Christian Hawkey, and the translation by Jean Snook of the novel “Der ferne Klang” (“The Distant Sound”) by the recently deceased Austrian author Gert Jonke, which is set for publication by Dalkey Archive Press in early 2010.

The official prize-giving ceremony on 1 December at the Cultural Forum in New York will also feature a panel discussion with the prize-winners chaired by Daniela Strigl as well as a reading of brief extracts from the winning translations.